mithridatic's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
i absolutely LOVED this book. from the empowering messages to the relatable sorrows and the sprinkles of humor. i enjoyed it so much an e-book, but found it to be so layered and littered with important messages that i’m still going to buy a physical copy to reread and annotate.
i’d recommend this book to anyone but especially any women/AFAB people out there who know the daily struggles we face in every facet of life. these were some very inspiring, kick-ass characters and a story i’ll hold dear to my heart
i’d recommend this book to anyone but especially any women/AFAB people out there who know the daily struggles we face in every facet of life. these were some very inspiring, kick-ass characters and a story i’ll hold dear to my heart
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Misogyny, Sexism, Death, Sexual harassment, Violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Murder, Grief, Alcohol, Vomit, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Drug abuse
clefi7's review
dark
emotional
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
this is an angry novel. I absolutely loved it. women getting revenge on men doing horrible things. in the beginning it seemed like the characters did odd things that wouldn't be done in real life? but men have done much worse, and the rest of the book was amazing
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual assault, and Trafficking
annabelle's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
A good revenge fantasy with a sprinkle of the supernatural. I enjoyed the story as a whole, though I did see the twist coming. I don’t mind that since it was done well. The plot was interesting and the pacing was good considering the length of the book. It didn’t lag anywhere and the story built up well. The characters were compelling, and I was rooting for them to complete their vengeance.
While there are some magical realism/supernatural elements, so much of the story is realistic in how adults and the systems we have fail vulnerable women. I appreciated how that was a focus of the story and the book stressed how these girls deserve respect. It was definitely a violent book, yet not overindulgent in describing the graphic details of the horrors these young girls experienced which I appreciated.
Some moments did get a little girlboss-y feminism at times, but I don’t think it was too bad overall. I appreciate some unapologetically angry women enacting revenge.
While there are some magical realism/supernatural elements, so much of the story is realistic in how adults and the systems we have fail vulnerable women. I appreciated how that was a focus of the story and the book stressed how these girls deserve respect. It was definitely a violent book, yet not overindulgent in describing the graphic details of the horrors these young girls experienced which I appreciated.
Some moments did get a little girlboss-y feminism at times, but I don’t think it was too bad overall. I appreciate some unapologetically angry women enacting revenge.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, Murder, Misogyny, Pedophilia, and Violence
Moderate: Drug abuse and Drug use
jillaay_h's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Sexism, Pedophilia, Murder, and Trafficking
simply_fran's review
challenging
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Murder, Sexual assault, Suicide, Adult/minor relationship, and Misogyny
klr0's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Rape
chb's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Pedophilia, Kidnapping, Infidelity, and Grief
Minor: Rape, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Drug use, Trafficking, and Sexual assault
cheye13's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Yet another book that I don't think was pitched to me correctly. I had heard it was a sort of witchy book about post-menepausal women starting a coven and gaining powers. This is not that, but the only disappointment I have about it is I still want to read that book too.
The synopsis is more accurate than the elevator pitch I got. These are adult women (though I wouldn't call them all "middle age") who always sort of had these magic powers, and are just now beginning to embrace and express them after meeting each other and beginning to uncover a conspiracy. Essentially it is much more a crime/mystery/thriller with a little magic than it is a true paranormal.
This book gave me so much more than I expected, and I truly enjoyed it. It's cathartic, angry, vengeful. Satisfying in every way I wanted from it. It was also terribly sad. There's a lot of heavy, tense, and upsetting memories and flashbacks, and the crimes involved in the conspiracy are abhorrent. I did find myself tearing up more than once. But the book's message is clear and vindicating and never once felt exploitative.
I was genuinely pleasantly surprised by this book; this is what I want whenever I pick up something in the "women killing men" genre but rarely ever hope for. This one finally delivers.
The synopsis is more accurate than the elevator pitch I got. These are adult women (though I wouldn't call them all "middle age") who always sort of had these magic powers, and are just now beginning to embrace and express them after meeting each other and beginning to uncover a conspiracy. Essentially it is much more a crime/mystery/thriller with a little magic than it is a true paranormal.
This book gave me so much more than I expected, and I truly enjoyed it. It's cathartic, angry, vengeful. Satisfying in every way I wanted from it. It was also terribly sad. There's a lot of heavy, tense, and upsetting memories and flashbacks, and the crimes involved in the conspiracy are abhorrent. I did find myself tearing up more than once. But the book's message is clear and vindicating and never once felt exploitative.
I was genuinely pleasantly surprised by this book; this is what I want whenever I pick up something in the "women killing men" genre but rarely ever hope for. This one finally delivers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, Pedophilia, and Trafficking
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Classism, Gaslighting, Rape, Infidelity, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual violence
Minor: Gun violence, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Suicide, Grief, Abandonment, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, and Fatphobia
essentially an Epstein revenge fantasy; the story is primarily intended as cathartic, but while the majority of the crimes occur off-page, the story does not shy away from acknowledging their occurrence.Spoiler
The backbone of the plot is a sex-trafficking ring of billionaire men who kidnap, sexually abuse, and kill teen girls. While these specific crimes are never on-page, the fallout and details of them are included.scrummyb's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
When I first started this book, I worried it was just man-hating. A writer letting our her rage. Which if you're a woman in the U.S., fair. Ya know? But worried there wouldn't be a story beyond the rage. Then it delivered a good murder mystery crime thriller with some magic mixed in. While I guessed the big reveal, pretty early on, it was still a really enjoyable twisty story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Misogyny, Rape, and Pedophilia
qgg's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Dark feminine rage in defiance of individual and systemic injustice against women and girls. It’s sure to make most male readers too uncomfortable to bother even though it’s a story that needs to be heard. I have two small complaints. 1. There are twists in the story, but I anticipated nearly all of them. And 2. The female characters were layered, but they still weren’t fully three dimensional women. Because they were archetypes, the women weren’t allowed to stray from their categories. I don’t know a single woman who stays in her category.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Rape, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Sexism, Sexual assault, Trafficking, and Child death